Cotton-picking machine



Filed Dec. 12, 1952 INVENTOR.

Patented Sept.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to cotton picking machines and more particularlyto a simplified machine utilizing vacuum or suction for moving the bollsfrom the cotton plants.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved cottonpicking machine which can be towed by suitable traction means, such asan agricultural tractor, and moved continuously alon rows of cottonplants to gather the bolls from the plants; which gathers the bolls byVacuum or suction assisted by mechanical agitators and discharges thegathered bolls into suitable receptacles for handling; which isvertically adjustable to accommodate it to cotton plants of differentheights; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical tomanufacture, easy to use, and effective and efflcient in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing where- 1n:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a cotton picking machineillustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the machine illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line l4 of Figure2.

With continued reference to the drawing, the machine comprises aplatform, generally indicated at H], of substantially isoscelestriangular shape having its apex at its front end and its base at itsrear end and including a frame I l and floor structures 12 and i3. Atowing hitch device l4 projects forwardly from the front end of theframe for attachment to the hitch mechanism [5 of an agriculturaltractor or other suitable traction means and ground engaging wheels itand Il are disposed one at each side of the platform ill at the rear endof the platform.

Vertically disposed sleeves l8 and i9 are mounted on the platform, oneat each rear corner of the platform and extend downwardly from theplatform substantially perpendicular thereto and rack bars 20 and 2|extend slidably through the sleeves l8 and I9 respectively. Stub axles22 and 23 project perpendicularly outwardly from the rack bars 20 and 2!at the bottom ends of these rack bars and the wheels l6 and H arejournaled on the stub axles 22 and 23 respectively.

Gear housings 24 and 25 are provided on the sleeves l8 and I9 near theupper ends of the sleeves and gears, and a shaft 25 extends across therear end of the platform and is journaled at its respectively oppositeends in the gear housings 2 and 25. Gears, not illustrated, are mountedon the ends .of the shaft 26 within the gear housings 24 and 25 and meshwith the teeth of the rack bars 28 and 21 respectively, and a third gearhousing 21 is mounted on the platform It intermediate the length of theshaft 26 and the shaft extends through this third gear housing. A wormgear, not illustrated, is mounted on the shaft within the gear housing2! and a worm, also not illustrated, is journaled in the housing 2! andmeshes with the worm gear on the shaft 26. The worm is turned by a handcrank 23 to rotate the shaft 26 which, in turn, rotates the gears in thegear housings 24 and 25 and moves the rack bars '26 and tilongitudinally through respective sleeves I8 and I9 to raise or lowerthe rear end of the platform I!) relative to the ground engaging wheelsI6 and it, so that the height of the platform can be adjusted for cottonplants of different heights. The worm and worm gear may have anirreversible pitch, so that no means are necessary for positivelylocking the rack bars at selected positions of longitudinal adjustmentrelative to the associated sleeves l8 and I9.

Ducts 30 and SI are mounted on and extend longitudinally of the platforml0, these ducts being joined together at the front end of the platform,as indicated at 32, and extending divergently relative to each otherfrom the front end to the rear end of the platform where they are curveddownwardly through the platform and terminate substantially in a planedisposed below and parallel to the platform Ill. The downwardly directedrear ends of the ducts 3!] and 3| are open and guide vanes or deflectorsin the form of flat plates of substantially rectangular shape aredisposed at the forward sides of the downwardly directed rear endportions of, the ducts. The guide vanes 33 and 3d are disposed forwardlyof and at respectively opposite sides of the rear end of the ducttc and.are convergently inclined from ,a location spaced forwardly of the rearend of the duct to the front side of the downwardly extending rear endportion of the duct and similar rearwardly converging guide vanes ordeflectors 3-5 and 35 are disposed in front of the downwardly extendingrear end of the duct 3|, the deflectors 33 to 36 inclusive beingeffective to guide the cotton plants under the downwardly opening rearends of the ducts 30 and 3i, so that the plants will be subjected tosuction at the downwardly directed rear ends of the ducts.

A fan 38 is mounted on the platform above the front portions of theducts 3t and 3| and has an inlet 39 and an outlet ll]. A conduit llconnects the interconnected front end portions of the ducts 3d and 3! tthe inlet as of the fan 38 and a discharge duct 22' extends rearwardlyfrom the fan outlet at above the platform ill, being supported above theplatform by a suitable supporting frame 43 extending upwardly from theplatform.

An engine it is mounted on the platform between the ducts 39 and 3!intermediate the length of these ducts and is drivingly connected to thefan 38 by a belt drive it and a shaft ll extends transversely of therear portion of the platform and through the ducts 3t and iii near therear or lower ends of these ducts and is driven from the engine by abelt drive 58.

Agitator spikes or fingers 68 project radially outwardly from the shafti'i within each duct 3i? and 3! near the rear or lower ends of theseducts, the spikes in each duct being spaced apart longitudinally of theshaft 17 and angularly spaced apart around the shaft, as illustrated inFigure 4, to perform a beating action on cotton plants passing under thedownwardly directed rear ends of the ducts to assist the suction at therear ends of the ducts in loosening bolls from the cotton plants andmoving the loosened bolls upwardly into the rear ends of the ducts.

At its rear end the discharge duct 2; is divided into two divergentbranches t and 5E and these branches are provided at their distal endswith bag holders 52 and 53 of a form well known to the art for holdingwoven bags as and in connection with the downwardly directed distal endportions of the branches fail and iii. A vane 53 is mounted in the duct52 at the juncture of the inner sides of the branches 5G and 5! and ismovable by suitable means, such as the hand lever 57 extending upwardlyfrom the top of the duct 32 to selectively close the branches and ii i,so that the material forced by the fan through the discharge duct 32 canbe selectively directed into the bags E i and 55.

Obviously, the bagging equipm nt at the rear or discharge end of theduct (#2 can be replaced by a duct extension for discharging the cottoninto a wagon carried cage body of a construction well known to the art,if desired.

With this arrangement, the cotton boils are loosened from the cottonplants by the suction at the rear ends of the ducts 3t and Bi assistedby the agitating fingers ll? on the shaft i? and are drawn through theducts 3t and 3! into the fan 38 from which they are discharged throughthe duct -32 into the bags connected to the bagging branches 5i? and iiior into any other suitable receptacle which may be provided.

The invention may be embodied in other spe cific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and'not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:

1. A. cotton picking machine comprising a platform structure having afront end and a rear end and a towing hitch structure on the front endthereof, wheels disposed one at each side of said platform at the rearend thereof, means connecting said wheels to said platform for verticaladjustment of said platform relative to said wheels, ducts mounted onsaid platform and having rear ends spaced apart transversely of saidplatform and downwardly curved to terminal positions below the platform,deflectors disposed one at each side of each duct at the rear ends ofthe ducts and convergently inclined from locations ahead of the rearends of the corresponding ducts to the duct rear ends for guiding cottonplants past the open rear ends of the ducts a fan mounted on saidplatform and having an inlet and an outlet, an engine mounted on saidplatform and drivingly connected to said fan, conduit means connectingboth of said ducts to the inlet of said fan, a shaft extendingtransversely of said platform and through said ducts near the open rearends of the ducts, agitating elements carried by said shaft within therear ends of said ducts, means drivingly connecting said engine to saidshaft, and a discharge duct extending from the outlet of said fan abovesaid platform.

2. A cotton picking machine comprising a platform structure having afront end and a rear end and a towing hitch structure on the front endthereof, wheels disposed one at each side of said platform at the rearend thereof, means connecting said wheels to said platform for verticaladjustment of said platform relative to said wheels, ducts mounted onsaid platform and having rear ends spaced apart transversely of saidplatform and downwardly curved to terminal positions below the platform,deflectors disposed one at each side of each duct at the rear ends ofthe ducts and convergently inclined from locations ahead of the rearends of the corresponding ducts to the duct rear ends for guiding cottonplants past the open rear ends of the ducts, a fan mounted on saidplatform and having an inlet and an outlet, an engine mounted on saidplatform and drivingly connected to said fan, conduit means connectingboth of said ducts to the inlet of said fan, a shaft extendingtransversely of said platform and through said ducts near the open rearends of the ducts, agitating elements carried by said shaft within therear ends of said ducts, means drivingly connecting said engine to saidshaft, and a discharge duct extending from the outlet of said fan abovesaid platform, said agitating elements comprising spikes projectingradially outwardly from said shaft with the spikes in each of said ductsspaced apart longitudinally of and angularly around said shaft.

3. A cotton picking machine comprising a platform structure having afront end and a rear end and a towing hitch structure on the front endthereof, wheels disposed one at each side of said platform at therearend thereof, means connecting said wheels to said platform forvertical adjustment of said platform relative to said wheels, ductsmounted on said platform and having rear ends spaced apart transverselyof said platform and downwardly curved to terminal positions below theplatform, deflectors disposed one at each side of each duct at the rearends of the ducts and convergently inclined from locations ahead of therear ends of the corresponding ducts to the duct rear ends for guidingcotton plants past the open rear ends of the ducts, a fan mounted onsaid platform and having an inlet platform and through said ducts nearthe open 5 rear ends of the ducts, agitating means carried by said shaftwithin the rear ends of said ducts, means drivingly connecting saidengine to said shaft, and a discharge duct extending from the outlet ofsaid fan above said platform, said plat- 10 form being of substantiallytriangular shape and said ducts being joined together near the front endof said platform and extending divergently relative to each other towardthe rear end of the platform with their rear end portions curveddownwardly through said platform at spaced apart locations near the rearend of the platform.

OSCAR F. KERR.

No references cited.

